Turbulent history inspires Korean writer’s first novel

Mirinae Lee drew on the experiences of defectors including her great-aunt for her debut work

Mirinae Lee is one of only a few writers from South Korea who publish in English rather than Korean. She does not do this because works in English have a bigger readership – it just works better as a literary device, explains Lee, the author of 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster.

“For a long time, I thought it would be almost impossible for a non-native speaker to write a novel in a foreign language,” she says. “I started writing the story in Korean, but it didn’t work very well. When I switched to English, however, it worked instantly.”

Lee graduated from university with a major in English literature in the United States and has lived in Hong Kong for 12 years.

Her debut novel, published in the UK in May 2023 and in Hong Kong a month later, follows the life of a Korean woman during the Japanese colonisation of Korea (1910-45), the Korean war (195053) and the Cold War (1947-91).

The book comprises eight separate yet interconnected stories of an unnamed protagonist who claims to have been a slave, an escape artist, a murderer, a terrorist, a spy, a lover and a mother.

Excerpts of the novel appeared in literary journals including Meridian, Antioch Review and Black Warrior Review, and later caught the eye of a literary agent.

The book received good reviews and Lee ended up signing with eight different publishers around the world.

“I feel very lucky and grateful,” Lee says. “The Italian and Danish editions will be available in a few months. The Korean edition is aiming for a release early next year.”

8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster was inspired by Lee’s great-aunt, one of the oldest women to escape alone from North Korea. She died two years ago. “She was such a unique person. She went through a lot of events mentioned in the book. She survived Japanese colonialism, the Korean war and North Korea’s Great Famine, and escaped North Korea by herself in her sixties,” Lee says.

“She’s had such a turbulent and tragic life, but at the same time, she was very vivacious and a great storyteller.

“However, she didn’t give detailed stories about how she escaped because she left her two children and husband in North Korea. Families of defectors are sometimes punished harshly.”

During her research, Lee talked to several North Korean defectors. One of the novel’s anecdotes, in which a video containing South Korean content is hidden during an inspection, is based on a true event.

“I hung out a lot with young North Korean defectors and, from time to time, they told me things they experienced,” she says.

Lee had always dreamed of becoming a fiction writer, but she did not think it could become a profession. She was in her mid- to late twenties when the idea surfaced again. While in Paris, a friend declared she would become one of the greatest writers of all time. “I thought to myself, ‘Wow. If she does that, why can’t I at least try? I have nothing to lose except time,’” she says. Lee began work on her novel in 2017 and finished it in 2021.

As a literary subject, the Korean diaspora and its dark history is not uncommon, but Lee thinks the protagonist in her book is different.

“I wanted to create a weird grandmother type who has a side that’s a bit violent. Also, my novel is not [read] in chronological order. Each chapter is like a movie of its own,” she says.

There has been a lot of talk about adapting 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster as a film, both in Hollywood and Korea.

“I spoke to a few film producers in Hollywood, but our talks came to a halt because of the Hollywood strike. I’ve also talked briefly with several filmmakers in Korea, but the Korean edition is not out yet.

She didn’t give detailed stories about how she escaped because she left her children and husband in North Korea

MIRINAE LEE, WRITER

“Everyone tells me finding a good director is the most important thing,” Lee says.

Lee is now working on her second novel, tentatively titled Empire of V, which is inspired by true stories of rescued dogs in Korea.

“I was inspired by a Korean television show, There is No Such Thing as a Bad Dog. I imagined a dog trainer who grew up under a father who owned a puppy farm. She’s doing the opposite of what her father was doing.

“As the book progresses, there will be more about daughter and father,” she says.

Asked about the most memorable writing advice she has ever received, Lee says: “I have to find my ideal readers. We all have different preferences and writing styles. It’s not a matter of good taste or bad taste. So I need to find readers who understand my work and listen to their opinions.”